Jesse Berst, the editor of ZD Net's opinion pages, offered these thoughts on the de-masculinisation of the WWW.

Be honest here. When I say "Women on the Web" -- what comes to mind? X-rated sites? The D.C. woman named Jenni who opened her apartment to online voyeurs? How about Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame? If you are shaking your head up and down, better take it out of the sand. Quick. Women are fast approaching parity on the Net, accounting for about 40% of the online population. According to NetSmart Research, women will comprise 60% by 2005. So what? So this -- women are changing the way the Web works. Women are more task-oriented on the Web than the typical male. Writing in ZD Internet Magazine, Alexandra Penney suggests the Web has become a household utility for many women, like a microwave. They use it as a time-saver to get information or solve problems. Marketers are picking up on this, given that women also make 70% of retail purchases in the non-virtual world. Women are using the Web to take control -- of their personal lives, for starters. A Women.com survey of 1,300 women found 48% want more control over their finances. Bloomberg recently launched MoneyMode on Women's Wire, dubbing it the first online financial resource specifically for women. Expect more big-time, big-money sites geared to women. Women are networking like never before, circumventing more traditional networks for cyber communities. Web publisher Gretchen Glasscock notes the potential: "Strong parallels exist between access to knowledge, access to levers of power, and the ability to enter and advance in the workplace."

Jennicam
Penney's column MoneyMode